The White Dragon Behind The Blue Eyes
by Rinaidran Warrior
Summary: Gozaburo Kaiba comes back to haunt Seto's memory. At first Seto thinks that Gozaburo's ghost is trying to kill him from within, but he starts to wonder if Gozaburo really died. How will Seto deal with this while trying to maintain a cool, collected mask
1. Nightmare

Disclaimer: Don't own YGO. Blah.

Oh yeah, and Nii-sama means 'older brother'.

*= Say it with me: Awwwwww!

**=Heh. I love Lucky Charms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

"You're worthless. Everyone hates you. Mokuba only puts up with you because you're nice to him."

Tears fill my eyes. "That's not true, Gozaburo!"

"You're stupid and weak." A slash to my arm.

"A good-for-nothing coward." A blow to my chest.

"No!" I scream. Punches rain on me.

"WHAT ARE YOU, SETO?" Gozaburo roars. I don't answer, and a kick is delivered to my stomach.

"WHAT ARE YOU, FOOL?"

"W-worthless...a coward..."

"Very good. Now, does anyone care about you?"

"N-no..."

"What about your little brat brother?" I am silent. The raging man throws me against a wall, and I slump down, without so much as a peep.

"ANSWER ME!"

Silence.

"Good, now I think you'll pay me proper respect. Now, what about Mokuba?"

"H-he hates m-me..." I stammer as the knife pressed to my throat moves up and down with my breathing.

I clutch my head in silent agony. My breath comes in ragged gasps. I've been having these visions for weeks now, but I always manage to conceal them. The horrible thing is that they aren't merely visions...they are memories.

"Kaiba, are you okay? You look terrible!" 

I shoot Yami a glare and stalk away. Out of the school I attend only because I'm underage. I don't know where I'm going, but I feel another headache coming on, so I duck into an alley.

__

"No! Stay away from Mokuba, Gozaburo!"

"Big brother! Help me!"

"Silence, brat! Your brother hates you, he's not going to protect you."

"No...Seto doesn't hate me..."

"MOKUBA!" I'm suddenly thrown against the wall.

"See, brat? Seto isn't even trying to help."

"no..." I struggle towards Mokuba, but suddenly my vision goes black.

Random memories burn their way through my head, and I finally succumb to the agony and pass out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

My eyes open slowly to be greeted by more darkness. I blink in the direction of my watch. 6:30? What?

I stumble out of the alley to find that it's raining. Thunder and lightning flash and boom in the sky. I stagger blindly in the direction I think the Kaiba mansion is.

After making my way through the rain, the huge mansion suddenly looms in front of me. I stumble up to the gate.

"Seto Kaiba."

My eyes and voice are scanned, and the gate creaks open, only to quickly shut again.

I've just barely punched in the number code that unlocks the door when it flies open.

"SETO!" I'm suddenly tackled. "Where were you?"

"Never mind, Mokuba. Have you had supper yet?"

"No, Seto, but what happened? I was about to call the police!"

"It's nothing, Mokuba, I was just out for a bit. Now come on and we can have some lasagna for dinner."

I struggle to my feet and walk to the kitchen, Mokuba following me. He's wearing a puzzled expression and a small frown that disappears gradually as two plates of steaming lasagna appear on the table.

"Thank you, big brother."

I allow myself a rare smile, which turns to a surprised frown as Mokuba grabs my hand and drags me into the living room. "Hey!" I'm pulled onto the couch, and then Mokuba lets go of my hand and climbs into my lap, to my surprise. He hasn't done that for years now...

"Now, Seto, I want the whole story."

"What?"

"You weren't just 'out'. Tell me what really happened."

Before I can protest, the blue-gray eyes widen, tiny tears form at the edges, and the bottom lip quivers. Oh, god. The 'look'. I'm doomed*. 

"I...kind of got a headache...then Yami saw me, so I tried to avoid him by ducking into an alley. Then my headache got really bad, so bad that I had to sit down, then I suppose I passed out or something and woke up again a while later. It's nothing much, Mokuba, I must have gotten an allergic reaction to something..."

"Big brother, the last time you got a headache was when you were remembering something bad. What was the real reason for the headache? Was it..."

"Gozaburo." I say quietly. "Was it when he hurt you, Seto?"

I nod.

This time Mokuba's tears aren't just a part of the 'look'. He lets out a tiny whimper and buries his head in the crook of my arm. I wrap my arms around him, trying to be comforting, but it's hard when I'm as scared as he is. I squeeze Mokuba gently.

"Don't worry, Moku, he's gone. He'll never come back to hurt you again. Shh."

We sit for a while, and eventually Mokuba's small sobs fade into soft snores. Afraid to wake him, I adjust my position on the couch until I'm in a fairly comfortable position and pull a blanket over me and Mokuba. Soon I fall asleep, Mokuba beside me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mokuba woke up at the crack of dawn. He found himself in his brother's lap, and was about to thank his nii-sama for staying with him when he saw that the elder Kaiba's eyes were closed peacefully. Mokuba quietly freed himself from Seto's protective hold, and tucked his older brother in tightly. Seto muttered something in his sleep and smiled softly.

Mokuba wandered into the kitchen, where he poured himself some Lucky Charms and ate them quickly so that the marshmallows wouldn't get soggy**. Finally the little boy remembered it was Saturday and trudged up to his room and changed his clothes. He then tiptoed into Seto's room and picked out a warm housecoat for his brother to wear when he woke up. After laying the housecoat on the far end of the couch, he peered out the window to see Yugi and Joey standing at the door, and Joey's finger was an inch away from the doorbell. Mokuba ran to the door and opened it before the loud doorbell woke his nii-sama.

"Hello, Joey and Yugi."

"Hey, Mokuba, why you whisperin'?"

"Shh! Big brother's sleeping! Come on in, but be quiet."

Joey and Yugi exchanged looks then followed Mokuba to one of the various living rooms of the Kaiba mansion.

"Mokuba, we're here to talk to you 'bout your brother," Joey explained, no longer whispering, since they were in the west wing of the mansion and Seto was still sleeping peacefully in the east wing.

"Why? What happened? Is nii-sama sick or something?"

Upon seeing the blue-gray eyes widen worriedly, Yami decided that he would come out, because Yugi was going to lose it soon. Yugi's features shifted, signifying that his Yami had taken over.

"Well, Mokuba, we don't know. We were coming to ask you. You see, Kaiba-er, your brother looked like he was in pain or something, so I walked up to him and asked him if he was alright. He just ran out of the school, and didn't come back. Then you phoned Yugi and I at the Turtle Game Shop to ask if we'd seen your brother, and that was at 6:00. Do have any idea what happened?"

Realization dawned on Mokuba's features, and he closed his eyes wearily. "He...was remembering...something bad. Seto came home at 6:30, and he was completely soaked, but he just said he was 'out', so I made him tell me the whole story, and he said that he got a really bad headache, and I know that the last time he got a headache was when he had a bad memory. So he told me that he did remember something bad, and it gave him a headache."

Joey awkwardly put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder. "Mokuba, your brother's not the type to get fazed by remembering bad stuff, know what I mean? What was Kaiba remembering?"

Mokuba let out a tiny whimper. "Gozaburo Kaiba."

Joey looked puzzled, and Yami had changed back to Yugi.

"You have to go now. Nii-sama is going to wake up soon." With that, Mokuba ushered them out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

"You stupid brat! Can't you do anything right?"

"But, Gozaburo, I uploaded ten programs today..."

"Idiot! I wanted twenty! And you will address me as 'sir'!"

He picks me up roughly, and throws me out of the first-story window. The glass leaves small cuts on my arms and legs. I lie still, whimpering a little, but soon I struggle up to my feet and limp towards the door.

"Oh, so now you're trying to get back in? Stay out, brat!" Gozaburo storms out and punches me a few times, adding some new bruises to my collection. I limp towards the back door, and drag myself up to my room. I lock the door, and bandage myself up slowly. Then a scream pierces my ears. Mokuba!

"You get out of your room, or I will personally kill your brat brother!" I stumble out of my room, and grab Mokuba out of Gozaburo's grasp. With my small brother in my arms, I dart out the door, ignoring the pain in my legs. Gozaburo roars and charges after me, and I huddle in a corner, hiding Mokuba behind me. As the rain of kicks and puches descends on me, I fall into blackness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Nii-sama? Wake up!"

I open my eyes blearily to see Mokuba standing over me. 

"Seto, I made you breakfast, come quick or the marshmallows will get soggy!" I grin. I've always had a weakness for Lucky Charms cereal.

After I finish my breakfast, I start to get up, but Mokuba tackles me. "Seto, can we go somewhere today?"

I think for a minute. I don't think I'm busy today...oh, screw KaibaCorp. I'm going to take the day off.

"Of course, Mokuba. Where do you want to go?" Oh no, not the zoo, not the zoo...

"The zoo!"

I sigh and ruffle my brother's hair, and walk out to the limo.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	2. We Meet Again

Disclaimer: FWAHAHAHAHA! I don't like onions. Or mushrooms. And I don't own Yugioh. Yay for me. 

SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING, SO SORRY! I WAS SO LAZY! *cries* Plus my evil Internet's been down for a while.

This story is going to switch to normal POV. It's too confusing to do Seto's POV. Sorry 'bout that. Seto's also going to be a bit OOC (Out of Character) in this chapter. You'll find out why. So is Mokuba, but I'm only making him a bit more childish. Mokuba is so cute! BWAHAHAHAHA! Long live the Silentshippers! Silentshippers, don't give up! We're out there!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seto climbed stiffly out of the limo. Mokuba hopped out excitedly, and dragged his big brother towards the zoo entrance.

"Come on, nii-sama! Let's go see the crocodiles!" Mokuba cried. Seto grinned and followed him. When they reached the crocodiles, there was a huge crowd gathered around the reptile's glass-walled pool. Seto hoisted Mokuba up onto his shoulders, and Mokuba laughed excitedly as he watched the crocodiles.

After a while, Mokuba wanted to see the lions, so they departed. The golden beasts were amazing, Seto had to admit. He watched them pace around their cage, and turned to show Mokuba one that had just given an almighty roar...to find that his little brother was no longer standing beside him.

"Mokuba?" Seto called. Suddenly a small hand grabbed his sleeve and dragged him towards what looked like an aquarium.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried. 

Seto let out the breath he had been holding. "Mokuba, don't ever wander away again, you really scared me-"

"Look, big brother! Seahorses!" Mokuba whooped. Indeed, several small but brilliantly colored seahorses were swimming around the aquarium amongst the other fish. Seto smiled at his little brother.

They had been watching the seahorses for a while when Seto felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around to see Yugi grinning happily at him and bouncing on the balls of his feet. Tea stood behind him, smiling politely. Tristan was next to Tea, and he was staring at the ground. Serenity was also there, and she was blushing faintly. Joey was right next to his sister, and looking everywhere but at Seto.

"Kaiba!" Yugi said happily. "Nice to see you here!"

Seto nodded. "Likewise."

Mokuba dashed towards Tea and hugged her. "Tea!" 

Tea smiled and hugged him back. "Nice to see you, Mokuba."

Mokuba detached himself from Tea, and grinned. Then he threw his small arms around Serenity, who laughed and knelt down to hug him back. "Serenity!"

"Hey, Kaiba, do you want to walk around with us?" Yugi inquired, smiling.

"Can we, Seto? Please?" Mokuba pleaded.

"Very well," Seto replied. Yugi's grin grew even wider.

Joey's stomach decided that their first stop would be the cafeteria. Joey, Mokuba and Tristan led the way, followed by Yugi and Tea, who were chatting about school and Duel Monsters. Seto walked slightly behind everyone. His head was bowed, and random thoughts were chasing each other around his head.

__

I wonder why Yugi invited me to walk with him...Oh, wait, probably because of Mokuba. Why did I even accept? I could have just let Mokuba go with them. They're his friends, after all. 

Maybe...I want them to be my friends, too. 

I am so stupid.

"Nice day, isn't it?"

Seto's head snapped up to see who had addressed him. It was none other than Serenity Wheeler. She had a small smile on her face.

__

Come on, idiot, say something! This might be your chance to make a friend, don't blow it!

"Yes, it is."

__

Okay...that was lame. Very lame.

"I hope it stays that way all afternoon. Did you see the weather reports on television for today? I missed them," Serenity remarked.

"Yes, I saw them. Apparently it's going to stay like this until about eight o'clock, then there's going to be a storm like the one last night."

Memories of the previous night rushed through Seto's head, but he shoved them back. Serenity smiled and said something, but Seto didn't hear. Gozaburo's voice roared in his ear, but Seto couldn't make out any words. He closed his eyes, trying to force Gozaburo's voice out of his mind. He only succeeded in making it louder, and now he could hear some words.

__

'Stupid kid!'

'You're worthless!'

'Emotions are for the weak!'

"Seto Kaiba!"

Seto opened his eyes to see Serenity. She had a hand on his shoulder, and was shaking him gently. Seto blinked a few times. "What?"

Serenity released his shoulder. "Were you in outer space or something?"

"No," Seto sighed. "What were you saying before?"

Serenity raised an eyebrow, then laughed. "I was just pointing out the sun hitting that pocket mirror over there. It creates an interesting reflection."

Seto glanced at the place she had indicated and saw that a lady had her pocket mirror out, and it had reflected some sunlight to create a small beam of light that went right past them. 

Seto didn't normally find these things interesting, but today was different. Today...he felt more like a normal teenager.

"Watch this." Seto rummaged in the pocket of his trenchcoat, and found a metal pen. He held the pen in the path of the sunlight beam, and light reflected off it towards a nearby metal sign. The light then reflected towards the first pocket mirror. (Author's Note: Haha, I have no idea if that's possible, just pretend for now.)

"If you place the pen just right, you can create a light triangle," Seto explained.

"Wow, that's awesome! It looks like the Triforce," Serenity said in wonder.

Seto lowered the pen, and put it into his pocket. 

"The what?" Seto asked.

"You know, from the Legend of Zelda," Serenity said.

"Oh, I remember that game! It was the only one they had at the orphanage, and I played it all the time. The other kids didn't like it because it was too hard for them," Seto reminisced with a chuckle.

"It actually was pretty hard. Especially the Shadow Temple."

"Actually, I found the Forest Temple quite difficult. And I couldn't beat Ganon, no matter how hard I tried."

"I know! Ganondorf was easy, but that stupid overgrown pig-Ganon..."

"I found a funny trick, though."

"What is it?"

"When Ganondorf is shooting his little balls of light at Link, you know how you normally deflect them with the Master Sword? You can also deflect the shots with bottles."

"No way! That's hilarious!"

Before he could stop himself, Seto smiled. A true smile. Serenity noticed, and matched his smile.

"You know, Seto, I still have that game lying around somewhere. I'm still stuck at Ganon, and it would be great if you could help me."

__

She called me Seto? Not Kaiba, not 'you there', but Seto?

"Sure."

"Oh, we're at the cafeteria! Let's catch up, we're a bit behind," Serenity suggested. Seto nodded, and quickened his pace. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He laughed. It was the most amusing thing he had seen in his life, which was saying something, since he was a good sixty-five years old. This laugh was hearty, but mixed with bitterness and anger.

The man was tall and well built. His graying hair was neat and slicked back, and his thick brows were raised good-naturedly. His mouth was opened wide, revealing rows of straight teeth, and a thick moustache framed the mouth. The corners of his eyes were crinkled merrily.

His eyes themselves, however, were a steely gray and bore no hint of amusement or anything close to good nature. They were pools of malice and cruelty, of arrogance and iciness. 

And these terrible eyes were trained on a certain young man with brown hair and blue eyes wearing a long, floating, white trench coat. At his side was a pretty young lady whom this older man did not know.

Even though the man didn't know the young lady, he knew the young man. Oh yes, he knew this young man very well.

For this young man had murdered him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If there was one thing Seto Kaiba hated more than not being right, it was cafeteria food. Mokuba loved it, and could devour plates of the stuff in minutes. Seto guessed it was an acquired taste. The CEO sighed and rested his chin in his hands.

As Seto mentally traced the pattern on the tablecloth, he couldn't shake off the memories from the previous night. Why were these flashbacks coming now? They hadn't been this bad even when _he _died. _He _was Gozaburo Kaiba, a hated enemy. 

Seto's 'father'.

"Hey, Kaiba?"

Seto looked up to see Yugi waving a hand in front of his face.

"Yes?" Seto asked, rather snappishly.

"Are you okay? You looked kind of zoned out."

Seto shook his head to clear it. "I'm fine. I just need to get some fresh air." With that, he got up.

"Hey, Seto, where are you going?" Mokuba asked, mouth full of hamburger.

"Just outside, kid." Seto ruffled his brother's hair and started to walk out.

When the CEO had pushed open the swinging doors, he took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Hi, Kaiba, mind if I join you?"

Seto glanced over his shoulder and saw Yugi standing there, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He nodded, and Yugi went to stand beside him.

They stood in silence for a while, when Yugi cleared his throat nervously.

"Kaiba?"

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering...why...well...why you...aren't all that...friendly sometimes."

Seto sighed and suddenly became interested in a low-floating cloud. "It's a long story."

Yugi looked mildly surprised. He had obviously been expecting a snappish reply.

Seto closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. Then he heard a voice that wasn't Yugi's.

"Seto. So we meet again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Haha, evil cliffie, but if you kill me NO MORE CHAPTERS! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Link: Why must I put up with her?

Seto: We all do. 

Yami: What a freak.

Me: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! *hits Yami with a flyswatter REALLY HARD*

Yami: X_x *is knocked out*

Me: OH NO! WHAT HAVE I DONE? YAMIIIIIIIII! *runs away sobbing*

Malon: I'll never understand her.


	3. Revenge

Disclaimer: Nuh uh.  NO I WON'T SAY IT!  *cries into Roy's shoulder*

Roy: O.o Marth, help…

Marth: *laughs*

Roy: .

Seto: RW doesn't own YuGiOh.

Me: *cries harder*

Oy, people, I changed it back to Seto's POV again, I dunno why.  And there's a tiny bit of cussing on Seto's part, but he really can't help it.  _He's going through a tough situation, and he really can't help cursing_. Well, would you act perfectly polite if your _deceased enemy_ _came back from the dead_?  Sorry 'bout the lecture, it's just that in some of my other fics I got lectured about one or two mild swears like 'damn' and 'hell' that appeared once or twice in the chapter. Hence the _PG-13 rating or PG_.  It _really_ bugged me, so please don't lecture me T.T

Last thing: Violence in this chapter.  *glomps Seto* POOR SETO-KUN!

Seto: I can't breathe…o.o *chokes*

~*~*~

My eyes snap open.  In front of me stands a tall, well built man who looks about sixty.  He has short, graying hair and a thick moustache.  His eyes are boring into mine.  Those eyes…No…It can't be him…He's dead, I saw him die…It can't be…

"Gozaburo?"

"Yes, Seto.  It's your dear old dad."

I quickly wipe the shock off my face, settling it into a neutral mask.

"You were never my father, Gozaburo.  And I have two questions for you: How the hell did you survive?  Why did you come back?" I snap, trying to keep the surprise out of my voice.  I spare a glance at Yugi.  He looks utterly lost.

Gozaburo chuckles.  "Never you mind _how_ I came back, boy.  The issue is _why_ I came back.  And, Seto, you know why I came back…to spend more _quality time_ with my son," he says, putting an eerie emphasis on 'quality time'.

I back away slightly, but Gozaburo drapes an arm around my shoulders.  "So, boy, let's go somewhere where we can…catch up."  He starts to lead me away from the cafeteria, but I duck out of his grasp and stumble backwards.  After regaining my balance, I glare at my 'father'.

"Kaiba?  What's going on?"  Yugi asks, eyes wide. 

"Yugi, you need to get out of here.  Take your friends and Mokuba with you, and get far away from here.  Now, go," I mutter, not turning to look at him.

"But, Kaiba-"

"_Now. _Get _out_ of here."  

Gozaburo advances on me slowly.  "Seto, I tried to be nice, but you've _obviously_ forgotten your training.  Maybe this will refresh your memory, son?"  He backhands me harshly, and I stagger back.  I throw a punch at him, but he catches it and twists my wrist painfully.  I grunt in pain, using my other hand to make a ruthless chop at Gozaburo's wrist.  He lets go of my hand, but suddenly I double over in pain as Gozaburo's foot hits my side and digs into the flesh painfully.  Yugi covers his mouth with one hand, and starts to run towards me, but I glare at him and look pointedly at the cafeteria.  

Yugi backs away, horrified, and runs into the cafeteria.  Gozaburo suddenly grabs my collar.

"So, boy, will you be nice now and come chat with me?"

I grit my teeth.  "No way in hell."  Gozaburo chuckles cruelly and grabs my neck.  He starts to squeeze.

I flail and kick, but it doesn't help in the slightest.  My arms are windmilling around, trying to aim for Gozaburo's face.  My vision is going a bit blurry.  "So, Seto, how do your last moments feel?"

Suddenly something barrels into Gozaburo, knocking him over.  He releases his hold on me for a second, and I roll out of the way and leap to my feet.  Gozaburo lets out a low roar and charges at me, but I leap out of the way.

He suddenly wheels around and hurtles towards me again.  I kick him in the stomach, but he pays no attention and seizes my arm, twisting it cruelly.  I hear a painful crack in my arm as the deranged man drags me away.  I struggle furiously.  Looking at the cafeteria, I see three people running after me.  Joey, Tristan, and Serenity.  One of them must have knocked into Gozaburo.  I'll have to thank them later, but for now all I can do is warn them.

"Stay away!" I yell.  They've almost reached me.  "Stop, stay away!" 

Joey cups his hands around his mouth.  "Kaiba, we're coming!  We'll save you from that freak!"

"STOP!  HE'S DANGEROUS! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" I bellow, and the three stop in their tracks.  Suddenly Gozaburo's grip on me tightens, and I start to struggle even more frantically.  I twist around.  "Where are you taking me?" I demand.

"Why, Seto, to my favorite exhibit…the sharks!" Gozaburo growls.  With dread filling me, I see the enormous outdoor shark pool that Domino City is famous for.

Gozaburo lets out a mighty roar and shoves me towards the edge.  I try to regain my balance, but suddenly I'm hanging on to the edge of the pool with one hand.  I glance up at Gozaburo.  His foot is poised above my hand.

"No, Gozaburo.  Stop!"

His boot slams onto my hand, and I scream in pain, trying not to let go.  Gozaburo's foot rises again…and he's suddenly shoved into the shark pool from behind, screaming wildly and flailing his arms.  As he falls, he catches me foot and tries to bring me down with him.  I hear a horrible crack as the sudden force breaks my leg.  I slam my foot against the wall, pain shooting through my leg, and Gozaburo lets go, still yelling in terror.  I hear the sickening splash as he hits the water, and the muffled shouts.  Splashing and screams echo through the pool.  Finally…they stop.  I close my eyes in relief and exhaustion as someone takes my hand and hauls me onto firm ground. 

"Whoa, good going, Serenity."

"Yeah, pushing that guy into the pool was brilliant!"

"…it's not funny or brilliant.  Look what that man did to Seto!"

"My god, what happened and how did it all start?"

"I have no clue…who was that freak trying to kill him, anyways?"

"Is he going to be okay, Joey?"

"I think so, Seren…whoa!  Look at those marks around his neck!"

"I think his arm is broken."

"And his leg.  It's at a funny angle."

"God, look at all that blood…"

"Stop it, Tristan, you're scaring Serenity."

 "Seto?  Seto!  Say something!"

I try to open my eyes, but they remain firmly closed.  "Where…is…Mokuba?"  I choke out.

"He's at the Game Shop with Yugi.  He's fine.  Who attacked you, Kaiba?  Why does he want you dead?"

Finally I force my eyes open, and struggle to sit up.  Breathing heavily, I slowly rise to my feet.  I walk over to the edge of the pool, and look down into it.  What?  There's no blood, signs of struggle, anything.  

"He's…not…dead." 

"Kaiba," Joey says sharply.  "You shouldn't be walking yet, on that leg of yours."  I turn to glare at him, but pain shoots through my leg and I crumple to the ground.  

Tristan and Joey each take one of my arms and help me up.  I glare at nothing in particular, my pride reduced.

"I'm…fine."

"No you're not," Serenity says firmly.  I try to glower at her, but my eyes suddenly fall closed.  I try to open them again, but I find myself slipping into darkness.

"Hey!  What's wrong with him?"

"He's unconscious, I think.  Poor guy."

"I hope Seto will be okay…"

Everything goes black.

~**~

When I come to, I'm hurting all over.  The first thing I see is the ground.  Then I realize I'm upside down.  This can only mean…

"Put me down."

"Hey, Seto, you're awake!" Serenity cries.  Ignoring the pounding pain in my head, I manage another demand to be put down.  Firefighter carries generally don't do wonders for a headache.

"Chill, Kaiba.  We're almost at Yugi's game shop.  After we get there, we're gonna call the hospital."  I recognize Tristan's voice, and scowl to myself.  How mortifying!  As I continue to glare at the pavement as if my humiliating situation was its own fault, Tristan sighs.  I'm suddenly flipped over, and standing on my own feet.  Joey and Tristan each have a firm grip on my arm.  I nod gratefully, and stagger along painfully.  Serenity hovers nearby, glancing at me worriedly.  It's kind of strange, having someone concerned about me.  Mokuba's constantly worried about my abnormal sleeping habits—well, nocturnal inclination—and the small amount of food I eat; but he knows me very well and loves me even though I'm an obnoxious, antisocial creep.

I figure that while I'm awake, I might as well ask what happened, since I don't have a very clear idea of it myself.

"Who pushed Gozaburo into the shark pool?" I ask.  Joey and Tristan exchange glances, and I figure it's one of them.

"Well…" Tristan starts nervously.  "If Goziboro…Gozaboru…Gozaburo is that freaky dude who was trying to kill you…"

"She did it."  Joey blurted, turning red and gesturing towards Serenity.  I turn my head towards her.

"Thank you." I say very gravely.  

Serenity nods, blushing slightly.  "So…" she starts quietly.  "Who is that Gozaburo person?"

I close my eyes, exhaling tiredly.  "My adoptive father.  I killed him, or so I thought."  I don't see their reactions, but I can hear the startled gasps.  

I open my eyes again, glaring at the ground again.  If looks could kill, that poor, innocent pavement would be melting right about now.  

"You _killed_ him?" Joey asks incredulously.

"Yes, we were mortal enemies.  He wanted KaibaCorp to be a weapons company, I wanted it to be a gaming company.  I won the battle, and I thought I'd won the war.  But he survived, and I don't know how.  Understandably, he survived for one purpose: to kill me."  I state dully. 

Absorbed in my thoughts, I trip on a crack in the pavement.  Pain shoots through my whole body, and I accidentally let out a yelp.  I fall to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Sorry, Kaiba, I didn't mean to let go…are you okay?  Kaiba?"

My eyelids flutter with exhaustion.  The last thing I see is three worried faces hovering above me, their expressions identical: concerned, caring, upset.

One thought crosses my mind before blackness overtakes me…Is this what it's like to have friends?

~*~*~

A/N:  Woah.  Freaky, sad, angsty…I had no idea I could write that stuff.  I know, it's terrible, be nice to me…*cries* I suck at this whole angst thing.  R&R!  Bye!


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